Sheboygan chef nominated for James Beard Award | Streetwise

Sheboygan chef, Stefano Viglietti, has been nominated for the highest culinary honor in the country, the James Beard Award. The award celebrates the best American chefs​ in a variety of categories.
Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

SHEBOYGAN - Sheboygan chef Stefano Viglietti has been nominated for the highest culinary honor in the country, the James Beard Award.

The award celebrates the best American chefs in a variety of categories. Viglietti has been nominated for best chef in the Midwest for his restaurant Trattoria Stefano.

Located in downtown Sheboygan on 8th Street, Trattoria Stefano is an Italian restaurant with an emphasis on authentic Italian cuisine. Opened in 1994, it was the first venture into the culinary industry for Viglietti, who didn't study cooking professionally.

"I had never been a cook or chef, so it was a rough opening, to say the least," Viglietti joked in an interview with the Press.

Almost 24 years later, he and his wife Whitney are the owners of four thriving restaurants in downtown Sheboygan and have racked up countless culinary awards and accolades.

An appreciation for simplicity and authenticity

Viglietti said he modeled Trattoria Stefano after trattorias in Italy, a place he visited a lot as a child.

Translated to "an Italian restaurant," trattorias have an emphasis on simplicity that Viglietti has recreated in his restaurant. From the décor to the one-page menu, Viglietti makes it a point to serve authentic Italian food in an environment that boasts a spirit of Italian simplicity.

"Trattorias are simple places," Viglietti said.

Small wooden tables with no tablecloths or elaborate centerpieces push diners to focus solely on the food.

"To me, it's about the food," he said.

The orange and gold tinted walls, low lighting and draped fabric hanging from the ceiling set a Mediterranean mood.

Only open after 5 p.m., Trattoria Stefano offers traditional Italian pastas and soups daily. There are special menu items that change seasonally and every Wednesday there is a new selection of small plates.

Viglietti has his staff travel to Italy and other major cities like New York to get a better understanding of true Italian food and culture throughout the year. He believes that to create an authentic Italian meal, he and his staff have to go experience it first hand.

Thomas Nuendel has been a pasta maker at Trattoria Stefano for two years and says Stefano's drive for authenticity is what has made his restaurants so successful.

"Italian-American food is a lot different than traditional Italian food and what he is doing here is more traditional Italian food," said Nuendel, who grew up in upstate New York in an Italian family.

The staff are also impressed by the importance Viglietti puts on sourcing.

"He really cares about the food and he cares about everything that has to go into this whole industry: quality of food, where it comes from," said John Hittman, who has been a chef with Viglietti for around 12 years and believes the award is well deserved.

Viglietti says his restaurants also do well because he always wants to make every customer feel at home.

"You want people to feel welcome and comfortable," he said. "I remember saying, day one, if someone walks in and says they want spaghetti and meatballs, you don't say, 'Oh we don't do that here.' You say, 'How about a rigatoni mozzarella with sausage? Same kind of sauce, a little different shape.'"

While very excited about being nominated for the James Beard Award, Viglietti says what motivates him is the food.

"We get up in the morning to have a great day, make incredible food, please our customers, source responsibly, create community through food, do all the things that we do and that happened to lead to this," he said.

The James Beard Foundation will announce finalists on March 14 and announce winners on May 7.

Born in Illinois, Viglietti moved to Sheboygan with his family as a baby when his father got a job in the area. His father's company had a partnership with an Italian organization, so Viglietti participated in exchange trips a lot as a child.

However, he said Sheboygan was always on his heart.

"I consider myself a true Sheboyganite, almost from birth!" Viglietti said. "I love my town. I love where I live. There is not another place I'd rather be in the world."

From a young age he had a deep appreciation for food and cooking. But when it came time for school, he chose a different path. Viglietti studied history and economics at Knox College in Illinois and almost went on to earn a masters so he could teach history.

The exterior of Trattoria Stefano as seen, Thursday, February 22, 2018, in Sheboygan, Wis. Stefano Viglietti has been nominated for the prestigious James Beard culinary award Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-

Stefano Viglietti speaks about his passion with food at his Trattoria Stefano restaurant, Thursday, February 22, 2018, in Sheboygan, Wis. Viglietti has been nominated for the prestigious James Beard culinary award. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The inside of Trattoria Stefano features cream city brick with classic modern touches, much of which is imported from Italy, Thursday, February 22, 2018, in Sheboygan, Wis. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Stefano Viglietti speaks about his passion with food at his Trattoria Stefano restaurant, Thursday, February 22, 2018, in Sheboygan, Wis. Viglietti has been nominated for the prestigious James Beard culinary award. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The exterior of Field to Fork and Il Ritrovo as seen,Thursday, February 22, 2018, in Sheboygan, Wis. Chef Stefano Viglietti has been nominated for prestigious James Beard culinary award. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The exterior of Field to Fork and Il Ritrovo as seen,Thursday, February 22, 2018, in Sheboygan, Wis. Chef Stefano Viglietti has been nominated for prestigious James Beard culinary award. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The exterior of Duke of Devon as seen,Thursday, February 22, 2018, in Sheboygan, Wis. Chef Stefano Viglietti has been nominated for prestigious James Beard culinary award. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Stefano Viglietti speaks about his passion with food at his Trattoria Stefano restaurant, Thursday, February 22, 2018, in Sheboygan, Wis. Viglietti has been nominated for the prestigious James Beard culinary award. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The tug of cooking was so great, however, that in 1994 he decided instead to open a restaurant and follow that passion. He was a little scared initially to open a restaurant without background in cooking, but he jumped in anyway because he had the support of his wife Whitney.

"It was the two of us in the beginning," Viglietti said. "We lived upstairs. We had a toaster and a bed. That was it. We got up at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. and went to bed at 11 or 12 at night. But we didn't care. We had each other, and we had love."

Viglietti said that both his wife and father were instrumental to the early success of the restaurant because they understood the financial aspect of the business.

"He (Viglietti's father) taught us the basics and he taught my wife especially how to do some basic accounting which was incredibly important," Viglietti said.

It paid off. Trattoria Stefano was such a success, a few years following the initial opening they bought the building next door and created more seating and a bar.

Even with that expansion, Viglietti says he wanted to go bigger.

"When you have great people who are inspired and you want to keep going, you want to do new things," Viglietti said.

That is why in 2000 he opened Il Rotrovo across the street . Il Ritrovo is a Neapolitan pizzeria which, following its opening, became the 5th American pizzeria to be certified "Vera Pizza Napolentana." This is a certification by the Italian government and the international pizza organization Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana deeming a pizzeria as an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria.

The recognition only goes to pizzerias that fulfill a particular set of guidelines set by some of the world's oldest pizza-making families.

In addition to pizza, Il Rotrovo serves an assortment of pastas and soups, all in the Italian tradition Viglietti grew up with. His father is Italian and his mother is German.

"I always jokingly say, 'I'm creative but punctual'," he said.

In 2005, Viglietti and Whitney opened Field to Fork. Located next to Il Rotrovo, it serves as both a café and grocery store. The grocery store gives local farmers an opportunity to showcase their produce, meats and cheeses.

The next year in 2006 he expanded his food empire once more and opened The Duke of Devon, an English style gastropub. Located on the riverfront, it is a departure from Viglietti's Italian tradition as it focuses solely on England-inspired cuisine.

Although very tight lipped about it, Viglietti is planning on expanding once again.

When asked if someone inspired him to cook, Viglietti hesitated to focus on one specific person.

He said instead that he is inspired by a feeling he got from his family, particularly his mother, about the connective power of food. He says when he was growing up and came home to food cooking, he would get excited.

Now a father himself, he still loves the excitement that comes from bringing his family together through a meal.

"It's like a hug you can smell," he said.

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New restaurants. Store closings. New developments. Local business. Streetwise is audience-driven business news about the Sheboygan area. Got a question or a story tip? Get in touch. Contact Marina Affo at maffo@sheboygan.gannett.com, 920-453-5121 or find her on twitter @marina_affo.